General Assembly nixes bills that required data centers to get SCC certificate

By: Shannon Heckt

Outlets: Virginia Mercury

Published: March 6, 2026

Words: 924

Last Updated: 4 days, 13 hours ago

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For most of the industry’s existence in Virginia, approvals for data centers were largely seen as a local issue – with the state and federal governments giving the thumbs up on certain permits.

But as the industry balloons across the commonwealth, those local decisions are triggering statewide implications concerning energy capacity and residents’ rising utility bills.

Two bills in the General Assembly sought to give the State Corporation Commission the authority to review …

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